The gala concert of the People's Artist of Russia will bring together a truly stellar constellation of artists from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova: the concert will feature Ruslan Alekhno, Alsou, Nadezhda Babkina and the "Russkaya Pesnya" ensemble, Oksana Bogoslovskaya, Varvara, the beneficiary's best friend Vladimir Vinokur, Maxim Dunaevsky, Lolita, Alexander Marshal, Yana Melikaeva, Sofia Onopchenko, Soso Pavliashvili, Rustam Shtark, Igor Luchenok, Anatoly Yarmolenko, the "Fest" ballroom dance ensemble, the "Forum" pop song studio, Konstantin Moskovich, Nikolai Gnatiuk, Potap and Nastya. The owner of the star named in his honor in Vitebsk will also delight the audience with his best compositions. The "Star Hour" with Lev Leshchenko in the International Press Center will undoubtedly be a sell-out.

Creative groups, writers, and folk craft masters will arrive in the city, which will celebrate its 500th anniversary in 2014, from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and other countries.

A rally dedicated to the 95th anniversary of Pyotr Masherov's birth took place at the monument named after him on Zamkovaya Street. Among the rally participants were also Vitebsk residents who knew Pyotr Masherov.

The environmental protection services of the Vitebsk region are constantly monitoring the issues of ensuring the proper sanitary condition and improvement of public recreation areas on water bodies.

The regional program, which includes 19 subprograms, provides for the implementation of 765 measures and the development of at least Br42 trillion. Since the beginning of the program, 227 out of 607 measures planned for 2011-2012 have been implemented, work is ongoing on 280, and more than 5,000 jobs have been created. The subprograms "Vittorg", "Northern Capital", "Children of Vitebsk Region", "Vitneftechim", "Vitmash", "Vitebsk Pharmacy", "Health", and the subprogram for the development of small and medium-sized urban settlements of the region are being implemented most actively. At the same time, insufficient work is being done on the implementation of the subprograms "Vitebskryba", "Vitebsky Rodnik", "Vitebsky Len", and "Vitagro".

Vitebsk region forestry enterprises plan to export about 2,000 fir trees to Russia during the pre-New Year period, as reported to a BELTA correspondent by Oleg Gritskevich, the leading engineer for secondary forest use and auxiliary agriculture of the association.

The grandson of the famous composer Dmitry Shostakovich presented a photo suite in Vitebsk. The exhibition "Tatlin's Dream. Photo project by Mitya Shostakovich" is on display at the "Vitebsk Center for Modern Art" museum.

Belarus will be represented at the international pop song performers' competition "Vitebsk", which will take place during the XXII International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk", by Alexander Solovyov, an artist of the National Academic Orchestra of Symphonic and Pop Music, a BELTA correspondent reports.

A short distance from the Belarusian-Latvian border in the Verkhnedvinsk district, Polotsk border guards discovered a batch of cigarettes prepared for illegal smuggling.

It is now possible to observe the exercises of the Ministry of Emergency Situations employees of the Vitebsk region in online mode, reported the press secretary of the Vitebsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Marina Fando.

In Vitebsk, free excursions around the historical center of the city are held on Saturdays for everyone. This offer for citizens and guests at the end of the Year of Hospitality is being implemented by the tourist company "Ilva".

The Year of Youth in Vitebsk began with the opening of a new exhibition space for established and young creative artists, designers, and photographers - "Art Space"

On March 16, the President of the Republic of Belarus considered a number of personnel issues, including giving his consent to the appointment of Mikhail Portnov, Chairman of the Vitebsk Council of Deputies, as Deputy Minister of Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus. In addition, Anatoly Shchasny, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Surgery of the Faculty of Advanced Training and Retraining of Personnel of VSMU, Professor, was appointed Rector of the Vitebsk State Order of Friendship of Peoples Medical University.

In the Vitebsk region, most citizens' problems are resolved upon their first contact with the authorities. This was stated by the Chairman of the Vitebsk District Executive Committee, Ruslan Furashov, commenting on today's personal reception of citizens.